The Duke of Sussex appeared on stage in New York City today to discuss the dangers young people face with social media and artificial intelligence, before his speech came to an abrupt end
Prince Harry’s address about the dangers of social media and artificial intelligence for young people was dramatically cut off after a technical error.
The Duke of Sussex made the trip back to America just weeks after relocating back to Britain, to speak at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York City.
Harry took to the stage to warn about the dangers for children online, marking two years since he and Meghan launched the Parents Network – dedicated to advocating for safer spaces online for children through proposed regulations of both social media and AI technology.
His address came hours after Donald Trump’s speech in the same city also about artificial intelligence — in which the embattled US President stressed he wants to rename the set of technologies “super intelligence”.
The Duke said in an impassioned speech: “It’s the same playbook that built the last crisis — only now the technology is more persuasive, more intimate and more powerful. And there is another difference this time.
“Social media learned how to capture our attention. AI is learning how to enter our relationships. It doesn’t just want your attention, it wants your attachment. It wants to be the thing you confide in. The thing that remembers you. The thing that tells you it understands you. The ultimate sycophant. For a child, that distinction matters enormously.
He continued: “We have spent years trying to loosen technology’s grip on children’s attention. We cannot wait another decade to discover what happens when technology has a grip on their relationships.”
Seven minutes into his impassioned plea, Harry’s address came to an abrupt end. He had said: “The damage was already done to a generation of children and parents. We do not have years for what comes next,” before giving a long pause and adding: “And that’s it”, before walking off stage.
A spokesman for the duke confirmed there had been a fault with the teleprompter, causing him to abandon his address halfway through. Around 40 minutes later after other presentations in the sessions, Harry was welcomed back onto the stage.
He said: “Hello again. So AI got into my speech, so I was asked to come out and finish it. Interesting to see what it was so concerned about.”
In the second part of his speech, the Duke of Sussex said: “We do not have years for what comes next. And this time, we cannot say nobody warned us.”
Harry added: “I come to this as a father — one who has shared countless conversations with other parents as they mourned the loss of their children to recklessly built technology,” he said.
“And as a father, I will remind you of the faces that accompanied me the last time I stood before you. Hundreds have become thousands.”
Behind the duke was a backdrop of lock screen photos of children who took their lives or suffered serious harm through experiences on social media, as he said: “Innovation has never required us to gamble with our children’s lives. We should not accept that bargain now.”
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